An American Airlines jet was forced to make an emergency landing Wednesday shortly after taking off in Missouri after one of its engines was disabled by a collision with a bird.
The American Airlines MD-80 jet landed at Lambert Airport in St. Louis shortly after takeoff around 2 p.m., FOX 2 in St. Louis reported.
"I was looking out the window when I saw a big ole' white thing flash by, then the engine jarred like someone dropped a ton of bricks on it," passenger Steve Quinlivan told FOX 2 by phone.
"Then I saw the whole thing come out the back end of it. They said we hit a bird, and it smelled like me barbecuing and forgetting my barbecue. It was a horrible smell."
A passenger on board the flight to Los Angeles told FOX 2 that he saw a bird "go into the engine," as the plane climbed.
The airline confirmed that the plane's right engine was disabled by the bird strike. American Airlines officials told FOX 2 the pilot immediately declared an emergency and returned to the airport.
None of the 140 people on board were injured.
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